Cart transport apparatus

ABSTRACT

A cart transport apparatus for automatically transporting carts in which trays with medicine contained therein can be stored. The carts have a plurality of support panels ( 38 ) juxtaposed to each other, a lower connection member ( 41 ) connecting lower end portions of the plurality of support panels ( 38 ), and casters ( 44 ) positioned below the lower connection member ( 41 ). The cart transport apparatus includes a frame ( 51 ) having wheels ( 50 ) that can be rotatably driven. The frame ( 51 ) is movable beneath the lower connection member ( 41 ) of the cart ( 8 ). Also, the cart transfer apparatus is provided with grip members ( 55 ) for gripping the lower connection member  41  of the cart  8.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cart transport apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, in the case of transporting medicine from a pharmacydepartment, medicine for one patient is contained in a tray, which isautomatically transported to a nurse station using a transport unit(see, for example, JP A 8-310625). As it is inefficient to transport themedicine separately from the nurse station to each patient's room, thetrays are stored in a cart and the cart is transported.

However, conventionally, there has been no apparatus for automaticallytransporting the cart.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cart transportapparatus which makes it possible to automatically transport carts inwhich trays with medicine contained therein can be stored.

The present invention provides a cart transport apparatus fortransporting a cart provided with a plurality of storage areas in eachof which trays with medicine contained therein are stored.

The cart includes a plurality of support panels juxtaposed to eachother, a lower connection member connecting the lower end portions ofthe plurality of support panels and casters positioned below the lowerconnection member. The cart transport apparatus includes a frame havingwheels which can be driven to rotate. The frame is movable beneath thelower connection member of the cart and a grip member for gripping thelower connection member of the cart.

According to this construction, moving the frame beneath the cart anddriving the grip member allows the grip member to grip the lowerconnection portion of the cart. Rotating the wheels to move the frameallows the cart to be transported. As the frame is movable beneath thelower connection portion, the frame can freely move to a predeterminedcart even if a plurality of carts is disposed.

Preferably, the grip member is comprised of at least one assembly of apair of grip arms. Each or the grip arms comprises an upper plateportion, a lower plate portion and a side plate portion for guidingthree surfaces of the lower connection member except one side surface.The pair of grip arms may pivot in synchronization with each other sothat the side plate portions can guide both side surfaces of the lowerconnection portion respectively.

According to this construction, even if the positional relation betweenthe lower connection portion and the grip member is displaced to someextent, pivoting operation of the grip arm allows the grip member tosurely grip the lower connection portion.

Preferably, the apparatus further Comprises a cart detection portion fordetecting the lower connection portion of the cart; and a controlportion for driving the grip member based on a detection signal of thecart detection portion to grip the lower connection member.

According to this construction, the grip arms are able to moreaccurately grip the lower connection portion.

Preferably, the grip member is comprised of two assemblies of the pairof grip arms disposed on both sides of the frame. The cart detectionportion is comprised of two assemblies of a plural group of sensorsjuxtaposed in a width direction of the lower connection member. Also,the control portion decides whether or not the cart is positioned at anappropriate position based on detection signals of the plural group ofsensors and if the cart is not positioned at the appropriate position,the control portion stops driving the grip member.

According to this construction, it is possible to determine whether ornot the grip arm can surely grip the lower connection portion based onwhether or not the plural group of sensors detects the lower connectionportion. Therefore, when the grip arm is pivoted, the grip arm neverfails to grip the lower connection portion.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a detection portion fordetecting an obstacle during movement of the frame, and, when the frameapproaches the cart, if the control portion decides that the frame hasmoved to a predetermined distance based on a detection signal of thedetection portion, the control portion restrains the moving speed of thecart.

In accordance with this construction, it is possible to move the frameso that the grip member can effectively surely grip the lower connectionportion.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a communication portioncapable of receiving a state of transport address of the cart. Thecontrol portion decides whether or not the cart can be transported basedon the state of transport address of the cart received at thecommunication portion.

In accordance with this construction, it is possible to effectivelytransport the cart while confirming the state of transport address ofthe cart.

According to the present invention, as the lower connection portion ofthe cart is gripped by the grip member provided on the frame which ismovable beneath the cart, it is possible to transport the cartregardless of whether or not the trays are stored in the cart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a general view showing an outline of a medicine supply systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tray discharge unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cart with the trays stored therein;

FIG. 4( a) is a plan view showing an internal construction of a traytransport unit and FIG. 4( b) is a front view of FIG. 4( a);

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an internal structure of the traytransport unit and floor;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing a grip member provided onthe tray transport unit;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a tray discharge unit;

FIG. 8( a) is a plan view of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8( b) is a front sectionalview showing a part of FIG. 8( a);

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing a part close to a first guide memberof FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing a part close to a second guidemember of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control unit of the medicine supplysystem according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which a plurality of carts isput together;

FIGS. 13( a), (b), (c) are front views showing examples of the traysstored in the cart;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing processes in the medicine supply systemaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart continued from FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a flow chart continued from FIG. 15.

EXPLANATION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   1 Supply lifter    -   2 Tray discharge unit    -   3 Tray transport line    -   4 Medicine dispensing unit    -   5 card rewriting unit    -   6 Stack lifter    -   7 Tray    -   8 Cart    -   9 Cart transport unit    -   10 Control unit    -   11 Flange portion    -   12 Identification card    -   13 Cart standby portion    -   14 Tray supply portion    -   15 Cart shift member    -   16 First optical communication portion    -   17 First guide member    -   18 Elevation motor    -   19 Gear    -   20 Guide piece    -   21 Tray shift unit    -   22 Vertical rail    -   23 Horizontal rail    -   24 Tray holding member    -   25 Arm portion    -   26 Pushing portion    -   27 Second optical communication portion    -   28 Electromagnet portion    -   29 Second guide member    -   30 Guide roller    -   31 Guide cover    -   32 Driving belt    -   33 Slider    -   34 Pusher    -   35 Pulley    -   36 Gear    -   37 Shift motor    -   38 Support panel    -   39 Leg portion    -   40 Upper connection portion    -   41 Lower connection portion    -   42 Grip    -   43 Support portion    -   44 Caster    -   45 Guide groove    -   46 Storage area    -   47 Reflection plate    -   48 Cart supply line    -   49 Cart discharge line    -   50 Wheel    -   51 Frame    -   52 Drive motor    -   53 Detection member    -   54 Control substrate    -   55 Grip member    -   56 Bearing member    -   58 Cart detection sensor    -   59 Position deviation detection sensor    -   60 Detection sensor    -   61 Third optical communication portion    -   62 Pulse driver    -   63 Signal converter    -   64 Grip arm    -   65 Drive shaft    -   66 Driven shaft    -   67 Drive gear    -   68 Driven gear    -   69 Support table    -   70 Sensor dog    -   71 Position detection sensor    -   72 Current collecting arm    -   73 Slit    -   74 Power supply unit.    -   75 Guide rail    -   76 Trolley    -   77 Cover    -   78 Server    -   79 Input unit

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a medicine supply system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. In the medicine supply system, a plurality ofmedicine dispensing units 4, card rewriting unit 5 and a stack lifter 6are disposed along a-tray transport line 3 connecting a supply lifterand a tray discharge unit 2. As shown in FIG. 2, there is provided acart transport unit 9 that transports empty carts 8 to the traydischarge unit 2 and transports the carts 8 with trays 7 stored therein.As shown in FIG. 11, these members are controlled by a control unit 10.

The supply lifter 1 stores a plurality of trays 7 in a stacked state andsequentially discharges the plurality of trays one-by-one to the traytransport line 3. Each tray 7, as shown in FIG. 3, has a box shape withan open upper surface and a flange portion 11. On the side surface ofthe tray 7, an identification card 12 can be attached and detached. Theidentification card 12 can be a Lueco type or a thermochromic type ofrewrite card or the like, which is rewritable by heating the card to apredetermined temperature. Patient information and the like can bewritten on the identification card 12.

The tray discharge unit 2, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, comprises a cartstandby portion 13 and a tray supply portion 14. A cart shift member 15is provided on an upper part of the tray discharge unit 2. The traydischarge unit 2 sequentially stores the trays 7 with the medicinecontained in the empty cart 8.

The cart standby portion 13, as shown in FIG. 7, comprises plate-likemembers assembled in a rectangular frame and ensures a space for puttingthe cart 8 on standby at a position along the tray discharge unit 13 inorder to quickly shift the cart 8 to the adjacent tray supply unit 14.At the middle portion of the lower plate of the cart standby portion 13,a first optical communication portion 16 is provided. The first opticalcommunication portion 16 conducts transmission and receipt of data witha third optical communication portion 61 provided in the cart transportunit 9 which will be described hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 9, a firstguide member 17 is provided at the middle portion of an overhangingportion 13 a of the cart standby portion 13. The guide member 17 moves aguide piece 20 up and down via a gear 19 by driving an elevation motor.When moving up, the guide piece 20 enables the cart 8 to enter into thecart standby portion 13 from the cart supply line 48. When moving down,the guide piece 20 guides the cart 8, which moves from the cart standbyportion 13 to the tray supply portion 14 and prevents the next emptycart 8 from entering.

The tray supply portion 14, as shown in FIG. 7, has the shape of arectangular frame and is provided with a tray transfer apparatus 21. Thetray transfer apparatus 21 has a construction in which a horizontal rail23 is provided slidably in a vertical direction on vertical rails 22attached on the plate-like members on both sides of the tray supplyportion and a tray holding member 24 is movably provided in a horizontaldirection on the horizontal rail 23. The tray holding member 24comprises arm portions 25 for holding the flange portions 11 of the tray7 and a push portion 26 for pushing the tray 7 held by the arm portions25 in a forward direction, i.e., toward the cart 8. The tray holdingmember 24 can move in both the X (horizontal) direction and the Y(vertical) direction to store the tray 7 in an appropriate storage area46.

The tray supply portion 14 is provided with a second opticalcommunication portion 27 which conducts transmission and reception ofdata with respect to a third optical communication portion 61 providedin the cart transfer apparatus 9 that will be described hereinafter. Onthe upper portion of a side plate of the tray supply portion, anelectric magnet portion 28 is provided. The electric magnet portion 28is energized upon the empty cart 8 being transferred by the carttransfer member 15 so that the cart 8 is attracted and positioned. Thisprevents positional displacement of the cart 8 when the trays are storedin the cart 8. A second guide member 29 is provided on the middleportion of the upper plate of the tray supply portion 14, as shown inFIG. 10. The second guide member 29 has the same construction as thefirst guide member 17. In the second guide member 29, a guide roller 30is provided instead of the guide piece 20. The guide roller 30 descendsto guide the cart 8 as it moves from the cart standby portion 13 to thetray supply portion 14 and ascends to enable the cart 8 to move from thetray supply portion 14 to the cart discharge line 49.

As shown in FIG. 7, a guide cover 31 is provided on the upper portion ofthe boundary between the cart standby portion 13 and the tray supplyportion 14. The guide cover 31 has a substantially L-shaped plate-likebody extending from the horizontal direction to the vertically lowerdirection. The guide cover 31 prevents displacement of the position ofthe cart 8 when the cart 8 moves from the cart standby portion 13 to thetray supply portion 14.

The cart transfer member 15, as shown in FIG. 8, comprises a drive belt32 provided on the upper portion of the cart standby portion 13 and thetray supply portion 14, a slider 33 fixed on the drive belt and a pusher34 extending downward from the slider 33. The belt 32 is engaged withpulleys 35 a, 35 b provided on both sides. A drive power is transferredto one pulley 35 a via a pair of gears 36 from the shaft of the transfermotor 37. The pusher 34 is arranged to push the one end surface of theempty cart 8 disposed in the cart standby portion 13 to transfer it tothe tray supply portion 14.

The cart 8, as shown in FIG. 3, is an integrated construction comprisingfour support panels 38 kept upright at a predetermined intervals, anupper connection member 40 connecting each middle portion of the upperends of the support panels and a lower connection member 41 thatconnects each leg portion 39 protruded from the middle portions of lowerends of the support panels. In the support panels 38 positioned at bothsides, grips 42 are provided respectively at the upper side edgeportions. Also, casters 44 are provided respectively at both ends of asupport portion 43 that extends from the lower end of the leg portion39. Thus, holding the grips 42 allows the cart 8 to freely move. On theopposite surfaces of the support panels 38, guide grooves 45 are formedat predetermined intervals in a vertical direction. The opposite guidegrooves 45 function to support the flange portions 11 of the trays 7 instorage areas 46. In the case where no tray 7 is stored in the storagearea 46, it is possible to bring the carts 8 together as shown in FIG.12 to reduce the necessary storage space. A reflection plate 47 (seeFIG. 7) made of metal is provided on the middle portion of the lowersurface of the lower connection member 41 so that the reflection plate47 can be detected by a position displacement detection sensor 59 thatwill be described hereinafter.

The tray transfer line 3 is constructed so that a plurality of rollers(not shown) is driven to rotate and convey the tray 7 downstream, i.e.,to the tray discharge apparatus 2.

The medicine dispensing apparatus 4 is constructed so that medicines canbe packed by one dose based on prescription data inputted from a server78 or the like and dispensed into the tray 7 that is conveyed on thetray transfer line 3. On the lower portion of the medicine dispensingapparatus 4, a stopper (not shown) is provided to stop the tray 7 movingalong the tray transfer line 3 if required.

The card rewriting apparatus 5 is constructed so that a predeterminedmatter can be printed on the identification card 12 provided on the tray7 and, if already printed, the content can be rewritten and reprinted.

The stack lifter 6 is constructed so that the trays 7, which have beenconveyed with the medicine contained therein, can be stacked to put themon standby and then supplied to the tray discharge apparatus 2sequentially.

The cart transfer apparatus 9 comprises a first cart transfer apparatus9 a for transferring the empty carts 8 aligned on the cart supply line48 and a second cart transfer apparatus 9 b for aligning the carts 8 inwhich the trays 7 are stored at the tray discharge apparatus 2 with thecart discharge line 49 (the lines on which the cart transfer apparatus 9b is disposed respectively are shown by two-dots chain line in FIG. 1).

Each of the cart transfer apparatuses 9 a, 9 b comprises a drive motor52 (pulse motor), detection members 53, a control substrate 54, gripmembers 55 and so on which are provided on a frame 51 supported by fourwheels 50. The wheels 50 are attached on both end portions of therotation axes that are rotatably supported by bearing portions 56. Adrive power of the drive motor 52 is transmitted to the rotation axesvia drive transmission belt 57. As the detection members 53, cartdetection sensors 58 on the middle portions of both sides, a positiondeviation sensor 59, search sensors 60 and a third optical communicationsensor 61 are provided.

Each of the cart detection sensors 58 comprises three juxtaposed opticalsensors each having a light emitting element and a light receivingelement. A light irradiated from the light emitting element is reflectedon the lower surface of the lower connection portion 41 of the cart 8and received by the light receiving element so that the lower connectingportion 41 is detected. All of the sensors are disposed so as tosimultaneously detect the lower connecting portion 41.

The position deviation sensor 59 is used to detect the reflection plate47 provided on the cart 8 and to determine whether or not the cart 8 ispositioned at the center of the cart supply line 48 or the cartdischarge line 49, i.e. whether or not the cart 8 deviates from thecenter in the direction perpendicular to each line.

An ultrasonic sensor can be used, for example, as the detection sensor60. The detection sensors 60 are disposed at a total of four places onboth sides of the end portions of the cart transport unit 9,respectively to detect the cart 8. For example, the detection sensor 60is used when accessing the cart 8 in order to grip the cart 8 by meansof the grip member 55 which will be described hereinafter, whendetecting the presence or absence of the cart 8, when transporting thegripped cart 8, when detecting whether or not the cart 8 bumps againstanother cart 8 and so on.

The third optical communication portion 61 conducts data transmissionand reception with the first optical communication portion or the secondoptical communication portion 27 provided on the tray discharge unit 2.

The control substrate 54 controls the pulse signal which will beoutputted to the drive motor 52 via the signal converter 63 from thepulse driver 62 based on the data received through the third opticalcommunication portion 61.

Each of the grip members 55, as shown in FIG. 6, comprises a pair ofgrip arms 64 a, 64 b. The grip members 55 are disposed at the centerportion of both sides of the frame 51, i.e. in the vicinity of each cartdetection sensor 58, respectively. One grip arm 64 a is fixed on thedrive shaft 65 which is rotatable forwardly and reversely in response todrive of a motor (not shown). The other grip arm 64 b is fixed on thedriven shaft 66. A drive gear 67 provided on the drive shaft 65 and adriven gear 68 provided on the driven shaft 66 are engaged with eachother so that the grip arms 64 a, 64 b rotate synchronously. Each of thegrip arms 64 a, 64 b is made of metal plate material that is bent intoan upper plate portion 55 a, a lower plate portion 55 b and a side plateportion 55 c for guiding three surfaces (upper, loser and one sidesurfaces) except the other side surface of the lower connection portion41 of the cart 8. The upper plate portion 55 a and the lower plateportion 55 b are formed so as to expand gradually toward the end fromthe side plate portion 55 c, thereby enabling the lower connectionportion 41 to be gripped without interference. Also, the grip arms 64 a,64 b are elastically deformable themselves, which allows the absorptionof some deviation and sure gripping of the lower connection portion 41.Each of the grip arms 64 a, 64 b are attached on support tables 69having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape fixed on each ofthe shafts. The side plate portion 55 c of one grip arm 64 a and that ofthe other grip portion 64 b can guide the lower connection portion 41from the side surfaces. Therefore, even if the cart 8 is skewed by acertain degree with respect to the cart transport unit 9, it is possibleto correct its position to a proper position. A sensor dog, provided onpart of the driven shaft 66, is detected by a grip position detectionsensor 71, thereby allowing the grip arms to stop their rotation.

In the frame 51 of the cart transport unit 9, as shown in FIG. 5, acurrent collecting arm 72 is provided so that it extends downwardly thefrom the bottom of the frame. The current collecting arm 72 serves as apower supply path for supplying power to the motor and the like.

On the floor constituting the car supply line 48 and the cart dischargeline 49, as shown in FIG. 5, a slit 73 is formed. A power supply unit 74is provided beneath the slit 71. In the power supply unit 74, a guiderail 75 and a trolley 76 for power supply are disposed so as to beopposed to each other. The guide rail 75 can guide the currentcollecting arm 72 and move the cart transport unit 9 along the line. Thetrolley 76 supplies power to the cart transport unit 9 via the currentcollecting arm 72. The upper opening portion of the slit 73 is coveredby a cover 77 made of a flexible material. A slit 77 a is formed in thecover 77 and the current collecting arm 72 is movable in the slit.

The control unit 10, as shown in FIG. 11, controls the drive of themedicine dispensing unit 4, each roller of the tray transport line 3,the tray discharge unit 2 and so on based on prescription data receivedfrom a server 78 and the like or data inputted by an input unit (forexample, keyboard, mouse, touch panel and so on).

Next, the operation of the medicine supply system having aboveconstruction will be described.

First of all, the empty carts 8 are disposed and aligned on the cartsupply line 48. That is to say, each of the carts 8 is disposed so thatthe lower connection portion 41 is orthogonal to the cart supply line 48and both sides of the lower connection portion 41 are substantiallyequalized with respect to the cart supply line 48. This arrangement neednot be so accurate.

As shown in flowcharts in FIGS. 14 to 16, based on the prescription datainputted from the server 8 and so on (Step S1), the control unit 10drives the supply lifter (Step S2) to supply the trays 7 to the traytransport line 3. In the tray transport line 3, rollers (not shown) aredriven to transport the supplied trays 7 to the medicine dispensing unit4. When a tray 7 is moved to the medicine dispensing unit 4, the tray isstopped by a stopper (not shown), which causes the indicated medicine tobe discharged. If all of the medicine cannot be dispensed by onemedicine dispensing unit 4, the tray 7 is also stopped at anothermedicine dispensing unit 4 to allow the medicine to be dispensed.

If the medicine is completely dispensed, patient data such as thepatient name and so on, medicine data such as the prescribed medicinename and so on, and address data such as the ward name and so on areprinted on the identification card 12 that is attached to the tray 7 bythe card rewriting unit 5 (Step S4). If anything is printed, it isrewritten. When printing of the identification card 12 is completed, itis determined whether or not the medicine contained in the tray 7 is aregular prescription (Step S5-1). If it is the regular prescription, theprocessing operation is shifted to the next step. If it is determinedthat the medicine is not the regular prescription but a temporaryprescription, the tray 7 is stacked in the stack lifter 6 (step S5-2).Thus, even in the case of an urgent prescription for a patient whosecondition is rapidly changing, it is possible to put the tray on standbyin the stack lifter 6 without storing the tray in the cart 8 to promptlycope with the urgency.

In the tray discharge unit 2, the second optical communication portion27 of the tray supply portion 14 communicates with the third opticalcommunication portion 61 of the second cart transport unit 9 b. It isdetermined based on the detection result of the detection sensor 60 ofthe second cart transport unit 9 b whether or not the cart 8 ispositioned at the tray supply portion 14 (Step S6). If the cart 8 is notpositioned at the tray supply portion 14, the first opticalcommunication portion 16 of the cart standby portion 13 communicateswith the third optical communication portion 61 of the first carttransport unit 9 a and the first cart transport unit 9 a is moved to theempty cart 8 closest to the tray discharge unit 2 based on the detectionresult of the detection sensor 60 of the first cart transport unit 9 a(Step S7). If the cart is positioned at the tray supply portion 14, theprocessing is shifted to Step S18 which will be described hereinafter.

In this case, the first cart transport unit 9 a moves at a high speeduntil it is determined by the detection sensor 60 positioned at the sideof moving direction of the first cart transport unit 9 a that the firstcart transport unit 9 a is approaching the cart 8 by a predetermineddistance. When it is determined that the first cart transport unit 9 ahas approached the cart 8 by a predetermined distance, the speed isreduced. In detail, the first cart transport unit 9 a moves at the highspeed (constant speed) until the distance to the cart 8 becomes a firstset distance; and if the distance has reached the first distance, themoving speed of the first cart transport unit 9 a is decelerated byone-fourth. When the distance to the cart 8 becomes a second setdistance, which is smaller than the first set distance, the moving speedis further decelerated by one-sixth with respect to the moving speed atthe high speed.

When a predetermined time has passed and the position deviationdetection sensor 59 does not detect the reflection plate 47 (Step S8;NO), it is determined that the position of the cart 8 has deviated inthe direction perpendicular to the cart supply line 48 and an error isinformed (Step S12).

When the position deviation detection sensor 59 detects the reflectionplate 47 (Step S8; YES), the first cart transport unit 9 a is stopped(Step S9). Then, it is determined based on the detection signal of thecart detection sensor 58 whether or not a gripping operation of the gripmembers 55 is possible (Step S10). This decision is conducted inaccordance with whether or not at least two optical sensors of each cartdetection sensor 58 are positioned at both sides of the cart transportunit 9 a.

If it is decided that a gripping operation of the grip members 55 ispossible (Step S10; YES), the motor (not shown) is driven to rotate thegrip arms 64 a, 64 b so as to grip the lower connection portion 41 (StepS11). At this time, the lower connection portion 41 is guided as bothside surfaces are pushed by the side plate portions 55 c of each of thegrip arms 64 a, 64 b, thereby allowing correction of the cart even ifthe cart is positioned so that the lower connection portion 41 is skewedto a certain degree with respect to the direction perpendicular to thecart supply line 48.

If it is determined that a gripping operation of the grip members 55 isimpossible, that is to say, the skewed angle of the lower connectionportion 41 with respect to the direction perpendicular to the cartsupply line 48 is too large for the grip arms 64 a, 64 b to grip thelower connection portion 41 (Step S10; NO), an error is informed (StepS12).

If the lower connection portion 41 is held by the grip arms 64 a, 64 b,the first cart transport unit 9 a is moved to the cart standby portion13 of the tray discharge unit 2 (Step S13). Even when moving to the cartstandby portion 13, the first cart transport unit 9 a is moved at highspeed until the unit has traveled a certain distance; and if the unithas approached the certain distance 1, the unit is stopped or the speedis decreased. In detail, the first cart transport unit 9 a is moved atthe high speed until the distance to the cart standby portion 13 becomesa first set distance; the moving speed is decelerated by one-sixth untilthe distance becomes a second set distance from the first distance; andwhen the distance becomes the second distance, the unit is stopped. Atthis time, the pusher 34 of the cart shift member 15 is moved to the endportion of the cart standby portion 13. Also, the guide piece 20 of theguide member 17 is elevated to prepare for moving the cart 8 to the cartstandby portion 13. Moving the pusher 34 and elevating the guide piece20 are conducted provided that the preceding cart 8 is not positioned atthe cart standby portion 13. Thus, failure caused by the carts 8colliding against each other is prevented.

The first transport unit 9 a is further driven to move the empty cart 8to the cart standby portion 13 based on the detection signal of thedetection sensor 60. At this time, the pulse number of the appliedvoltage to the drive motor 52 is controlled to adjust the distance to adistance calculated based on the detection signal of the detectionsensor 60.

When the empty cart 8 is positioned at the cart standby portion 13, theguide piece 20 of the guide member 17 is lowered to prevent the cart 8from deviating at the time of shifting the cart 8. Also, the grippingstate of the grip member 55 is released and the first cart transportunit 9 a retreats from the empty cart 8. It is decided/based on thedetection result of the detection sensor 60 obtained from communicationbetween the second optical communication portion 27 and the thirdoptical communication portion 61 whether or not the cart 8 is positionedat the tray supply portion 14. If no cart 8 is positioned at the traysupply portion 14, the pusher 34 of the cart shift member 15 is moved sothat the empty cart 8 is moved to the tray supply portion 14 from thecart standby portion 13 (Step S14). The empty cart 8 is moved while itis prevented by the guide member 17 (guide piece 20 and guide roller 30)and the guide cover 31 from moving laterally.

When the cart 8 is moved to the tray supply portion 14, theelectromagnetic portion 28 is excited to attract and position the cart 8(Step S15). Then, the tray shift unit 21 is driven to continuously storethe medicine containing trays 7 in the storage area 46 (Step S16). Asthe cart 8 is positioned by the electromagnetic portion 28 and guided bythe guide roller 30, the cart is never displaced during the tray storagework.

The position of the storage area 46 in which the trays 7 are stored canbe set, for example, as shown in FIGS. 13( a) to 13(c).

FIG. 13 (a) shows an example in which the trays 7 are stored from 1st to12th in accordance with the receipt number of the prescription dataaccepted by the server 78. FIG. 13 (b) shows an example in which storagestages are differentiated by the hospital wards. The trays A-1 to A-5for hospital ward A are stored in the first and second stages; the traysB-1 and B-2 for hospital ward B are stored in the third stage; and thetrays C-1 to C-3 for hospital ward C are stored in the fourth stage.FIG. 13( c) shows an example in which the storage rows aredifferentiated by the hospital wards. In this case, differing the colorsof the trays 7 by the hospital wards is preferable because the operatorcan easily discriminate them. In the case of cart 8, as shown in FIG. 8,the guide grooves 45 are provided with a half pitch with respect to thestorage space of the tray 7, and thus it is possible to store the trays7 in the stages shifted by a half pitch, which allows the trays to bediscriminated by the hospital wards. If the number of guide grooves 45is increased, it is possible to provide the trays 7 with various pitchessuch as one-third pitch with respect to the storage space of the tray 7.

When storage work of the trays 7 into the cart 8 is completed (Step S17:YES), the second cart transport unit 9 b is driven (Step S18) and thenthe lower connection portion 41 of the cart 8 positioned at the traysupply portion 14 is gripped by the grip arm 64 of the grip member (StepS19). Subsequently, the electromagnetic portion 28 is demagnetized torelease the attracted state of the cart 8. After that, the guide roller30 is elevated to allow the cart 8 to move to the cart discharge line49. Then, the second cart transport unit 9 b is driven to move the cartto a predetermined position on the cart discharge line 49 (Step S20).

In a similar way, the empty cart 8 of the cart supply line 48 istransported to the tray discharge unit 2 by the cart transport unit 9 a.After the trays 7 are stored, the cart 8 is moved to the cart dischargeline 49. In the cart discharge line 49, the carts 8 may be disposed ateven intervals, though it is possible to dispose the carts 8 atdifferent intervals in accordance with the transport address of thecarts 8. For example, if there are three carts 8 to be transported tohospital ward A, these carts are disposed at even intervals.Subsequently, if there are two carts 8 to be transported to hospitalward B, these carts can be disposed at even intervals and at a largedistance from the group of carts 8 to be transported to hospital ward A.This allows the operator to easily discriminate the carts 8 duringtransportation to each of the hospital wards, which would be convenient.

Thereafter, with respect to all prescription data inputted in thecontrol unit 10, when the operations of dispensing the medicine to thetrays 7 and storing the trays 7 in the cart 8 are completed (Step S21:YES), the processing is terminated. If not completed (Step S21: NO), theprocessing is returned to Step S1 to repeat the same processing.

The above processing is effective in a case in which the medicines arecontained in the trays 7 and the trays 7 are stored in the cart 8 atnight or so.

In the above embodiment, the cart transport unit 9 is provided with thedetection sensors 55, though it is also preferable to further provide avibration sensor. Even if the detection sensors 55 are not able todetect obstacles, the vibration sensor detects vibration generated whenthe cart transport unit 9 collides with an obstacle. Based on thedetected vibration, an error is informed and the cart transport unit 9is stopped. This arrangement more reliably prevents trouble that wouldbe caused during movement of the cart transport unit 9.

1. A cart transport apparatus for transporting a cart provided with aplurality of storage areas in each of which trays with medicinecontained therein can be stored, the cart comprising a plurality ofsupport panels juxtaposed to each other, a lower connection memberconnecting the lower end portions of the plurality of support panels,and casters positioned below the lower connection member, the carttransport apparatus comprising: a frame having wheels which can bedriven to rotate, the frame being movable beneath the lower connectionmember of the cart; a first grip member for gripping the lowerconnection member of the cart; a cart detection portion for detectingthe lower connection member of the cart; and a control portion fordriving the grip member based on a detection signal from the cartdetection portion to grip the lower connection member, the first gripmember comprising a pair of grip arms disposed on the frame so as to beshifted from each other in a longitudinal direction of the lowerconnection member, the pair of grip arms being capable of pivoting insynchronization with each other so as to guide the lower connectionmember from side surfaces thereof, the cart detection portion comprisinga plurality of groups of sensors, wherein the sensors in each group ofsensors are juxtaposed in a cart transporting direction within a rangeof a width of the lower connection member to detect the lower connectionmember, wherein at least a first group of the groups of sensors isdisposed on a first side of the frame and a second group of the groupsof sensors is disposed on a second side of the frame, the controlportion driving the grip member to grip the lower connection member whenreceiving the detection signal that both the first group of the groupsof sensors and the second group of the groups of sensors detect thelower connection member.
 2. The cart transport apparatus as in claim 1,wherein each of the grip arms comprises an upper plate portion, a lowerplate portion and a side plate portion for guiding three surfaces of thelower connection member, and wherein the side plate portions of the griparms can guide side surfaces of the lower connection portion,respectively.
 3. The cart transport apparatus as in claim 2, wherein thecart transport apparatus further comprises a position deviation sensorfor detecting a reflection plate provided on the lower connection memberof the cart, the position deviation sensor being provided on a centerportion of the frame.
 4. The cart transport apparatus as in claim 1,wherein the control portion is operable to determine whether or not thecart is positioned at an appropriate position based on detection signalsof the groups of sensors, and if the cart is not positioned at theappropriate position, the control portion stops driving the grip member.5. The cart transport apparatus as in claim 4, further comprising: adetection portion for detecting an obstacle during movement of theframe, wherein, when the frame approaches the cart, if the controlportion determines that the frame has moved by a predetermined distancebased on a detection signal of the detection portion, the controlportion reduces the moving speed of the cart.
 6. The cart transportapparatus as in claim 4, further comprising: a communication portionoperable to receive a state of transport address of the cart, whereinthe control portion is operable to determine whether or not the cart canbe transported based on the state of transport address of the cartreceived at the communication portion.
 7. The cart transport apparatusas in claim 1, further comprising: a detection portion for detecting anobstacle during movement of the frame, wherein, when the frameapproaches the cart, if the control portion determines that the framehas moved to a predetermined distance based on a detection signal of thedetection portion, the control portion reduces the moving speed of thecart.
 8. The cart transport apparatus as in claim 7, further comprising:a communication portion operable to receive a state of transport addressof the cart, wherein the control portion is operable to determinewhether or not the cart can be transported based on the state oftransport address of the cart received at the communication portion. 9.The cart transport apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising: acommunication portion operable to receive a state of transport addressof the cart, wherein the control portion is operable to determinewhether or not the cart can be transported based on the state oftransport address of the cart received at the communication portion. 10.The cart transport apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the cart transportapparatus further comprises a second grip member having a pair of griparms, the first and second grip members being disposed on opposite sidesof the frame.